Nottingham Free School is near to launching our revitalised vision for ‘student character development’. The character traits of Resilience, Empathy, Ambition, Courage and Honesty (forming R.E.A.C.H) are regarded as key to developing student character and helping them to reach full potential.
Working closely with our students, staff and governors, we are aiming for a full launch with students after the Easter holidays.
Here’s a sneak peek….
Mr Tomasevic - Assistant Headteacher
Students in all year groups worked tirelessly through the last few weeks of the autumn term to make reverse advent calendars.
On the last school day before Christmas, we delivered 25 boxes full of goodies to the Daybrook Trussel Trust food bank. Well done to 9P who won the competition for the best box (pictured below).
Thank you all for your generosity especially when times are really difficult for so many people.
We truly appreciate your support.
Mrs Inglis - Head of Philosophy & Ethics and Personal Development
Since October, NFS Student Leaders have been very busy raising awareness around the anti-bullying agenda to prevent any such behaviour before it begins.
Our Student Leaders have:
We are thrilled to announce that Josie Foard’s (year 7) poster design was judged the most impressive, out of all the fantastic student entries.
See below for a picture of Josie’s design, which is now proudly displayed on all our classroom doors!
Mr Tomasevic - Assistant Headteacher
We are proud to introduce two new additions to our staff body.
Ms Tracy Marks is our new Assistant Headteacher and SENDCo, with responsibility for SEN and Inclusion provision. Tracy has qualified in Special and Inclusive Education, working as a Specialist Teacher under a Local Authority, before becoming a SENDCo for a number of years. Prior to joining our NFS family, Tracy moved into Senior Leadership and was responsible for managing her former Academy's commissioning and monitoring of alternative provision, both within school and externally, along with Special Educational Needs provision under the Children Missing Education Agenda.
We have also appointed a new Deputy SENDCo, Mrs Nikki Bee, whose responsibility is to co-ordinate and facilitate the provision of high-quality learning support both within the classroom and in the learning hub. Nikki will be managing SEN support in school, and is qualified to conduct Psychometric Testing and assess Examination Access Arrangements, which will allow us to better support our students through their examination period.
At Nottingham Free School, we are passionate about our young people shaping their minds through independent reading. We know that reading is proven to accelerate a child’s progress and develop their ability to become life-long learners. We want to ensure every learner nurtures their independent reading for personal and academic growth.
As such, we have collated a reading challenge of 16 prominent novels to read before you reach the age of 16 years old. All listed books are appropriate to their specific age group and increase in challenge as the student reaches Y11. All of the books listed are available in our school library or from the English department.
Miss Dirrane - Head of English
Nottingham City Leadership Academy - This Girl Can!
Well done to our INCREDIBLE ‘This Girl Can’ Nottingham City Leadership Academy participants. Indya, Cienna, Sarah and Arsa did us proud, representing the department and our school, along with girls from lots of Nottingham City schools. The team of 4 have been set a funded-mission to improve participation in physical activity, for Y7 girls. WATCH THIS SPACE!
Great Big Dance-Off!
Congratulations to the Enrichment Dance group who have reached the Regional round of the Great Big Dance-Off! The dance will be showcased at the Royal Albert Hall, Nottingham, on Monday 13th March. Tickets available to buy using this link.
City Cross Country Championships
On the 18th of January, students from across Nottingham Free School went to Wollaton Hall to compete in the City Cross Country championships against all of the City schools.
Well done to these outstanding students, who volunteered to run in the sub-freezing temperatures; valiantly running between 2k - 4k with some admirable results. We also had 3 students progress on to representing Nottingham City at the East Midlands competition! Well done, all!
Mrs Singleton-Jones and Mr Coppack
In science this half term Year 9’s have been learning about the pH scale and creating different pH’s of acids and alkalis. In order to do this the students had to add different chemicals precisely and in small quantities.
The picture below shows an example of the different solutions created forming a “pH rainbow”.
Mrs Brown-Messam - Lead Teacher of Science
'Learning with Dyslexia' Coffee Morning - Friday 10 February, 9.00-10.00am
Our new Assistant Headteacher/SENCo, Ms Marks and Deputy SENCo, Mrs Bee will be jointly leading our first parent/carer coffee morning of 2023 which is focusing on dyslexia-type needs. We will be delivering a number of sessions throughout the year, focusing on the four areas of the SEND Code of Practice.
This is a great opportunity for parents and carers to meet the SEND Team, to support families managing specific needs in the home. We look forward to meeting you and please keep an eye out for future coffee mornings which will be focusing on ASD and ADHD.
Sign up for the event here.
We will also be holding another coffee morning after half term:
'Low Mood and Anxiety' Coffee Morning - Thursday 23 February 9.00-10.30am
More details on this second event will soon be announced.
Mr Tomasevic, Ms Marks, and Mrs Seymour
Tuesday 7 February 3.30pm-4.00pm
NFS sixth form students are hosting an event open to all year 11s, where they can come and chat to our A-Level students about all things sixth form. Snacks and drinks will be provided!
After attending this event, Year 11 students can then go to their usual after-school homework or subject intervention session at 4.00pm.
Mr Cleveley - Head of 6th Form
Exam Invigilator
An opportunity has arisen for an efficient, reliable and motivated individual to join our School as an Examination Invigilator as we approach the summer examination period. If you, or anybody you know who you feel may be suitable for a casual role, are interested in applying for the post, please visit the vacancies page of our website to find out more.
We are delighted to announce that we now offer a service to support our local community where pre-loved, good condition items of Nottingham Free School uniform can be donated, exchanged and acquired free-of-charge, or for a voluntary money donation of your choice. A 'Pre-Loved Pop Up Shop' will be available during all parent meeting events throughout the year, and items can be requested at any time through a form on our website.
Nottingham Free School
Train to teach with the Nottinghamshire Torch SCITT